Pitching shoe



Oct 29, l940 G. A. ALTENDORF 2,219,972

PITGHING SHOE Filed April 26, 193,9

Patented Oct. Z9, 1940 a PATENT orricr 2,219,972 PITCHING SHoE George A. Altendorf, Oshkosh, Wis., assigner to Giant Grip Manufacturing Company, Oshkosh, Wis., a corporationof Wisconsin Application April 26, 1939, serial No. 279,227

7 Claims.

This invention relates to pitching shoes or the like of the type employed in games or contests where the shoe is pitched through the air toward a distant pin or stake in an effort to embrace or encircle the pin with the shoe or otherwise get it as close as `possible to the pin, and is more particularly concerned with pitching shoes which are especially adapted for indoor and like uses.

In its preferred embodiment, the invention comprises pitching shoes which comprise a weighted core member covered with a relatively soft vor resilient material such as rubber. The shoes must be Weighted tomake them suitable for the-purposes of the game and at the same time should be soft surfaced so as not to injure the oo-r, furniture or other surfaces adjacent the pin.

@pen sided pitching shoes of steel or some similar material have long been used in outdoor games, being shaped somewhat similarly to the familiar open sided horse shoes which were originally used in the game, and which are still used in some outdoor games.

This game could not be pl-ayed with metal indoors without danger of scarring or denting the floor or surrounding furniture, and it has been heretofore proposed to provide pitching shoes for indoor use wherein a continuous metal core was imbedded in rubber. These latter shoes, while softer than all metal shoes, are objectionable in that they become permanently deformed after constant use due to progressive bending of the core caused by repeated shocks. Hence there is no manner of insuring a uniform opening at the side of such a shoe during its use.

Another major objection to these rubber covered .pitching shoes of the prior art has been that they are too live and springy and tend to rebound and bounce excessively when they land on hard surfaces such` as flooring or the like.

With the above defectsV of the prior art in mind, it is a major object of the present invention to provide a novel pitching shoe which is.. surfaced with relatively soft or resilient material to adapt it .for indoor and similar uses-and which possesses sufcient weight and ability to substantially sustain a given shape to make it 'a substantial equivalent in those respects` of `hard metal outdoor pitching shoes and which is designed to eliminate excessive rebound and bounce when the shoe falls upon Va relatively .hard floor or similar surface.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a novel open sided pitching shoe wherein a sectional core member of Asubstantial weight is imbedded in a resilient surfacing material such as rubber. Specifically the .shoes are usually of generally U or horseshoe-shape, and the core member comprises two or more pivotally interconnected rigid metal arms permanently secured as by vulcanizing to the rubber surfacing material.

.A further object of the invention is to provide 6 a novel open sided pitching shoe whose legs are capable of limited relative movement only when subjected to shock, as when the shoe strikes Va hard surface, and wherein the legs spring back to their original position after said shock. Specicl ally the shoe includes a pivoted section core member coated with a relatively thick layer of resilient material, and stop means are provided for limiting relative movement of the core sections while the resilient coating is of suicient strength to l urge the legsof the shoes toward a predetermined position.

A further object of the invention is a novel core member for an open sided pitching shoe or the like wherein two or more arms of metal or a similar heavy rigid material are joined at adjacent ends for limited relative movement. Specifically these arms are pivotally interconnected and formed with suitable stop shoulders at the pivotal joints.

Further objects of the invention will presently. appear as the description proceeds in connection with the appended claims and the annexed drawing in which y Figure l is a plan view of an open sided pitching shoe of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the novel sectional core of the shoe of Figure l. Figure 3 is an end View of the core of Figure 2, and

vFigure 4` is a section taken through line 4 4 in Figure 1 with the core covering broken away from one leg of the shoe.

Referring to Figure 1, the pitching shoe I I comtion comprises a base portion I2 having a pair of outstanding legs I3 and I4 which extend generally parallel to each other so that the shoe is generally U-shapedand similar in appearance to the well known open sided horse shoe.

Legs I3 and I4 terminate in hook heels or projections I5 and I6 respectivelywhich extend toward each other to partially restrict the opening between the ends of legs I3 and I4, and which further serve as hooks for engaging the pin or stake to aid in maintaining the shoe about the pin once it has been accurately thrown thereupon. In external appearance shoe Il is similar to the pitching' shoe illustrated in my Design Patent No.

92,642 issued July 3, 1934.

Shoe II comprises a flexible, sectional core member I'I inserted or imbedded in a relatively thick coating or covering I8. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2,` core I'I comprises a pair of rigid arms I 9 and 2I, preferably of generally rectangular cross section. Arms I9 and 2I are inserted or imbedded within and extend along legs I3 and I4 respectively; and are generally L-shaped, being curved toward each other at adjacent ends to eX- tend through base I 2 to a pivotal interconnecting joint designated at 22 in Figure 1 and preferably at about the middle of base I 2 so that arms I 9 and 2I are of equal length.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, arms I 9 and 2| are formed at'their adjacent ends upon opposite sides with relatively thin ears 23 and 24 respectively which interlit with their inner surfaces 25 and 26 The dimensions of ears 23 and 24 and rivet 2'I are so chosen that joint 22 will be about the same thickness as either arm I9 and 2I as illustrated in Figure 4.

Inwardly of surface 26, arm 2I is formed with a stop shoulder 28 designed to be engaged by or otherwise serve as a stop for opposite corners of ear 23 as the arms are relatively displaced about joint 22. Inwardly of surface 25, arm I9 is provided with a similar stop shoulder 29 for engaging or otherwise serving as a stop for the opposite edges of ear 24. 4Stop shoulders 28 and 29 thereby limit relative rotation of either arm I9 and 2| about pivot joint 22 in either direction to a predetermined amount as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2.

While core member I'I is illustrated as generally flat and made of only two sections, it may be made of any desired cross-section and in any desired number of interconnected sections without departing from the spirit of the invention. Moreover, joint 22 may be of any suitable type permitting limited relative movement, pivoted,

- sliding or otherwise between the rigid arms of the articulated core member.

Preferably core member I1 is made of a metal, such as malleable iron or some other relatively heavy rigid material.

Core member arms I9 and 2I terminate in projections `3l and 32 which extend toward each other and are adapted to extend within the hook h-eels I5 and I6 respectively when the core member is within covering I8. Core member I'I is relatively heavy and its weight is generally evenly distributed throughout the shoe so that perfect balance is obtained.

The coating or-covering I8 may be any suitable material having a relatively soft surface capable of resisting wear, and preferably is made of relatively soft vulcanite, or a suitable soft, tough rubber or rubber and fabric compound which is preferably permanently attached or secured about the core member by a suitable molding or vulcanizing operation. During the molding or vulcanizing process some of the rubber or other material may ll the space between stop shoulders 28 and 29 and the ears 23 and 24, but such material is compressible to permit relative rotation of the core arms about the pivoted joint and does` Shoe II is also formed with an elongated call: 33 on base I2 and smaller calks 34 and 35 adjacent the ends of legs I3 and I4 respectively. These calks are preferably integral with covering I8 and serve to further balance the weight of the shoe.

Due to its relatively soft resilient surface which has no sharp corners or rigid projections, shoe II is especially adaptable for use indoors and under similar circumstances. Core member I'l is of such Weight and is so disposed within the shoe that shoe II is a relatively heavy, balanced article which is favorably comparable with the steel shoes used for outdoor games. Covering I8 is especially selected for its resilience, durability and` resistance to cuts and shocks.

When shoe I I, after being thrown through the air, falls on one leg it remains substantially in the area where it lands and does not bounce excessively. This dead landing is due to the fact that the leg gives, the core arm in that leg rotating about its pivotal joint, thereby absorbing most of the landing shock. This movement of the core arm is resiliently resisted by the resilient covering and is limited to a predetermined degree by the stop shoulders on the core arms. A shoe having a rigid core and a resilient Icovering will bounce excessively.

By the time shoe I I has come to rest 'after such a landing, it will have reassumed its original shape as dened by the resilient covering I8 since the resiliency of that covering overcomes the temporary deformation of the shoe due to landing and pulls the bent leg and its enclosed core arm back to normal position. In shoes having rigid one piece cores thecore is progressively bent by such repeated landing shocks, and has to be straightened or bent back to shape periodically. This defect is entirely eliminated bythe present invention. l

Thus the present invention provides a pitching shoe which is durable and has substantially the same balance and weight as an outdoor shoe, which falls with a dead landing and does not rebound or bounce excessively, and which maintains its shape even during constant use.

While the core member has been illustrated as entirely imbedded in the rubber covering, it will be understood that the invention embraces pitching shoes wherein a core is inserted, in a surface channel or slot along one surface of the shoe, and secured therein by a suitable adhesive or by vulcanization and any other arrangement wherein a portion or portions of the core may be accessible through an opening or openings in the covering.

The invention is also clearly applicable to round or circular pitching shoes such as quoits wherein v an annular ring of rubber or the like is provided `scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

V1. An open sided indoor pitching shoe of generally U or horseshoe-shape comprising a core member having a pair of rigid metal arms with integral curved extensions pivotally interconnected at adjacent ends and a relatively thick integral coating of rubber or an equvalentrelatively soft, tough material permanently bonded upon said core.

2. An indoor pitching shoe or the like of given configuration comprising `a cover of relatively soft, tough, durable material for preventing injury to Wooden oors, furniture and similar surrounding objects and a relatively heavy iiexible core entirely and permanently embedded within said cover, the flexibility of said core permitting deformation of the shoe upon landing after being thrown by a player and thereby cooperating with said material to take up the shock of said landing and prevent undesirable and excessive bounding of said shoe and said tough cover being resilient to the extent of effecting return of said shoe to said configuration after said deformation.

3. An indoor pitching shoe of given configuration comprising a heavy ilexible core of metal permanently and entirely embedded Within a relatively thick covering of tough rubber or like material, said core being of such flexibility as to permit temporary deformation of said shoe to absorb landing and similar shocks to which the shoe is subjected when thrown by a player to thereby prevent undesired bouncing and said shoe being sufficiently resilient to return to substantially original shape after said deformation.

4. An open sided indoor pitching shoe of generally ho-rseshoe-shape having a base and a pair of spaced legs, an integral cover of rubber or like tough, resilient material of substantial thickness and a heavy ilexible metal core extending through said base and both legs, said core being wholly embedded within said cover and permanently bonded thereto, and said core being of such ilexibility as to permit temporary deformation of said shoe to absorb landing and similar shocks to which the shoe is subjected when thrown by a player to thereby prevent undesired bouncing and said shoe being' suiiiciently resilient to return to substantially original shape after said deformation.

5. An open sided indoorpitching shoe comprising a generally U-shaped integral element of relatively soft, tough material and a heavy articulted metal core permanently and Wholly embedded Withinrsaid' element, said core being sufficiently flexible to permit temporary deformation of said shoe to` absorb landing and similar shocks to which the shoe is subjected When thrown by a player to thereby prevent undesired bouncing and said shoe being sufficiently resilient to return to substantially original shape after said deformation.

6.' An open sided balanced indoor pitching shoe comprising a generally U-shaped element of resilient materialhaving a base and a pair of legs, and flexible core wholly embedded within said element and extending along substantially its whole length, said core comprising a pair of heavy rigid core sections extending from said legs into said base where they are interfitted and pivotally interconnected.

'7. In the pitching shoe dened in claim 6, a stop projection on one of said core sections for limiting relative rotation of said sections.

G. A. ALTENDORF. 

